critical truth

The Time of Trouble

Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall found written in the book.

The time of the great tribulation is the same time of the outpouring of the seven last plagues of Rev. 16. It begins when Michael, that is Christ, stands up. He has been in the Heavenly Sanctuary, and the Judgment, as High Priest and the Advocate for those who want to be saved, and surrendered their lives to Him. The Book of Life is filled with the names of those whose sins have been pardoned and blotted out. Their names are sealed for salvation. When Jesus comes, they are taken up to heaven. According to the Bible, there is no other way for a person to enter the kingdom of God.

While Jesus is the intercessor for the human race in the Most Holy place, Satan is not permitted to blaze the earth with full destruction and calamities; but when Christ finishes His mediation, stands up and is not interceding any more, Satan uses the opportunity to do his work. History has never seen such a level of destruction everywhere. The majority of people feel safe because they had the upper hand with the powers on earth. As soon as the plagues are falling on them, they realize they have been deceived with what to believe, and the despair of being lost soon consumes their souls.

The saved ones suffer too, there is fear amid such turmoil; but they find, in the experience of the Jacob's anguish, the strength to fortify their faith in God; they see that the plagues are not falling on "they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." (Rev. 14:12) That is the identifying mark or seal of God for the faithful living when Jesus returns.

After the last plague, "thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." As we look to the east to watch the sunrise, we will be looking to the east to see the first glimpse of Jesus returning. It is the Second Coming of Christ. As He comes closer to earth, Christ calls to life those waiting on him in the dust of the ground, "for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:14-17) This is my hope, your only hope, take it and live.

This is a short description of the great time of trouble, just ahead. Seemingly, the majority of earth population, billions of human beings don't have a sense of the danger of perishing under the devastating plagues, when if they turn back to their Creator God they could be saved and live forever on the earth made new.

Watch for the signs of the last days: (Matthew 24; Luke 21; Mark 13) and more specific for a,b,c below.

a) All nations follow the worldly model of a church and state union. (Rev. 13:8)

b) A great controversy between the Sabbath of the Lord-Saturday and Sunday aligns all minds to one side or the other.

For the Sabbath, because God created the seventh-day Sabbath to worship the Lord. (Genesis 2:2, 3) God commanded to remember the Sabbath, (Exodus 20:8-11) and gave the Sabbath as a sign of belonging to Him. (Ezekiel 20:12, 20; Rev. 14:6, 7, 12)

For Sunday, because man made the holiday and it is enforced by the powers on earth. (Revelation 13:12-17)

c) The antichrist appears on some places, showing himself as he were Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:14; 2Thessalonians 2:9) The greatest lie to deceive mankind. (Matthew 24:24-26) Most religious bodies are expecting the coming of their divinity; the Christians are expecting Christ, and when Satan impersonates Christ, those who have studied their Bibles and understand the difference are the ones to stay away from the deceiving angel. Satan appears locally on earth before the seven last plagues. Christ will come after the seventh plague and will fill the sky with angels, the trump of God, and His voice to receive in the air all the children of God. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

With the devil manifestation ends the mind setting of the whole population on earth. On one side are those who believed the big lie; on the other side are those who trust on the Bible and won't worship the devil. The Savior in the heavenly sanctuary can not find more repentant sinners to cover with His mercy and grace; Christ stands up and pronounces the closing verdict: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." (Rev. 22:11) At that time probation closes for the entire human race. Before the end, or now, for any individual, probation closes at death. Repentance and forgiveness must be done while the person is alive, and he can send his petition to the Savior.

As Christ ends His intercessory ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, the seven last plagues begin to fall upon the impenitent sinners. Too late, the doors are closed. (Revelation 16) "a time of trouble, such as never was..." (Daniel 12:1)

The time of trouble ends with the Second Coming of Christ. All God's children from six thousand years of earth history who have their names in the book of life of the Lamb are gather to the Lord in the air. Christ will guide them in that grandiose spatial fly to the heavenly mansions. (John 14:1-3) No man remains alive on earth; Satan and his fallen angels will have a full millennium to think on their rebellion on a cold and dark earth. (Jeremiah 4:23-28)

This truth is very critical: "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John 5:12)

The One, the only One, the Messiah

Life on planet Earth began as God has planned, but soon enough an intruder, Lucifer, using the serpent as a medium, planted the seed of disobedience in the mind of our first parents. (Genesis 3:1-6) And they broke the express command of the Lord and sinned against their loving Creator.

The legacy of disobedience is death: “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen. 2:17) Deceived by the serpent, Eve ate of it and gave also the fruit of disobedience to Adam. A terrible and bitter experience, they were driven out of home. But God didn't leave them in total darkness, at once the plan of redemption was revealed to them so they could look to the future and have hope. God told the serpent: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Gen. 3:15) In these words the seed of the woman would overcome the devil and his seed.

The people were expecting, waiting, generation after generation to see the promised One, the seed of the woman that would come to deliver them from the unwanted slavery. At last the news came forth: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) “But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2)

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, an bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:23, 21)

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12)

And the eradication of sin is the aim of the whole plan of salvation, Jesus died for it; as High Priest, He is working daily to forgive and to blot it from the account of God's children, to save penitent sinners from their sins. No one can be saved in his sins: Christ blood was poured out to wash out the sins of believers. The Ten Commandments are the highest expression of love to God and to neighbors, they are the will of God for all human beings, and paradoxically the transgression of any one of them is a sin. (1 John 3:4) The One, the only One that has power to forgive that sin is Jesus, the High Priest in the Heavenly Sanctuary. He lived a perfect life for us, He died for all of us. He overcame death with his resurrection and promised to call us back to life at the Second Coming. Now is the turn of each one of us to come to Him for His mercy and grace.

“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:21, 22)

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)

And Jesus said: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

The children of God that lived on earth for four thousand years before Christ, how did they get the benefits of Christ atoning blood? “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:4) The blood of the animals they were offering for sins or for worship was only a representation in faith of the blood of the coming Lamb of God, the Savior, the Messiah. To take a glimpse of God's provision, now by faith, you can penetrate into heaven: “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.” (Hebrews 12:22, 23) Here, in a few words it is a vivid description of a glorious vision God gave to Paul.

These pages want to touch only on those men of old who justified by their faith have their names written in heaven. It is the life record, the sins, the confession, the repentance, the deeds of faith of Abel, Abraham, David, and all the faithful among them, that is alive in the grand computer of God. This life record, in some versions of the Bible is called 'the spirits of just men'. When Christ, the Advocate by the saving powers of His own blood, blots out the forgiven sin, then the just men are made perfect to be called back to life on the morning of the resurrection.

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)

At the Second Coming, the Lord remains in the air while the harvest of the Lord is caught up to Him. Through space and galaxies He takes the redeemed to heaven to be there for a thousand years. (John 14:1-3) Those whose names were not on the Book of Life, fall lifeless to the ground. Planet Earth remains dark and cold for the entire millennium with no human being alive. (Jeremiah 4:23-25)

When Christ returns with the New Jerusalem and the redeemed to earth He calls back to life all the wicked of six millenniums, to execute the judgment on them, and in the earth will be the lake of fire where all evil, the devil and his angels, the wicked, sin and death will finally be burn up. (Revelation 20) On the Earth Made New, with our Lord on the throne, the redeemed can find every moment to praise the Savior that made everything possible: peace, safety, love, life eternal. The paradise restored is the everlasting inheritance given to the Israel of God by the One, the only One that could do that. Praise Him, now and forever.

This truth is crucial for salvation: it leads you to Jesus, the only Savior of mankind, and to eternal life. On the other side, the erroneous stories that you hear around leaves you with a confused mind within the camp of the lost, and ready for the promised death. The choice is yours.

Mortality vs Immortality

At creation “God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7) God told Adam about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil not to eat of it “for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen. 2:17) A choice was given to Adam: he could choose obedience and life, or he could choose disobedience and death.

Very interested in acquiring a dominion for himself was Lucifer, the rebel angel fallen from heaven. (Ezekiel 28:14-17; Isaiah 14:12-14) Using the serpent as a medium, Lucifer told Eve: “Ye shall not surely die … your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods ...” (Gen. 3:4, 5)

Eve fell under the talking miracle of the serpent and her deceiving lies of a higher life experience. She took the fruit, ate of it and gave it to Adam also. “Ye shall not surely die” became the seed of the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, that planted in the human mind has grown around the globe to extraordinary proportions.

At that moment the Lord revealed the strategic plan to recover the human family and the earth, which came to a certain degree under Lucifer-Satan dominion. “And I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it (Christ) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Gen. 3:15)

Satan seized from the hands of Adam the dominion upon the earth that God had given him and has been using it many times to destroy life and property on earth. When tormenting the patriarch Job, Satan made fire come down from heaven, and a great wind to destroy house, children and the sheep. (Job 2:16, 19)

In the last days, this kind of disaster from earthquakes, tornadoes and fire will be more dangerous. “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Rev. 12:12)

Katrina, on August 29, 2005, was considered disaster #1; but Sandy on October 29, 2012, devastated greatly on the east coast where most people lived, and might be considered the worst storm with water, wind, fire, and cold.

One thing is true, from the Bible, God wants to save all people. (John 3:16) Great problem, most people prefer and like to stay within the Babylon of confusion, (Rev. 17) like in the old city with “the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans.” (Daniel 2:2)

When one that has confessed his sins to Christ, has been forgiven by the grace of God, and die; he remains dead, unconscious, until the first resurrection at the Second Coming of Christ. “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17) The children of God, in the morning of the resurrection, all come back to life with a new, glorious body, with flesh and bones like Jesus. (Luke 24:39) Everyone in the human race, in this life or in the resurrection, ever is alive when functioning in a living body.

The angels are different, they are spirit. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14) But the fallen angels and Satan in order to hide their deceiving spiritualistic activities have created the belief in the immortality of the soul; and use Babylon the Great (Rev. 17) to teach the world life after death, reincarnation, communication with the dead, and all beliefs contrary to the plain teachings of the Word of God.

Jesus took a common story of his days on earth and made a parable to teach that to be saved you have only the time you are alive now. Once you died, you cannot confess your sins and ask for pardon, the great gulf is fixed. (Luke 16:19-31) And for repentance and salvation, you have ”Moses and the prophets;” the Holy Scripture which reveals Jesus, the appointed Savior for mankind, the “one rose from the dead “ who can substitute His perfect life for the penitent faulty.

This is a critical truth: there is no hope of salvation for those drunk with the wine of Babylon, her non biblical doctrines, unless they hear the invitation, get sober, and come out: “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Rev. 18:1-4)

A Test of Love and Loyalty

The same day Adam was out of the hand of the Creator, God gave him a security command: “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou surely die.” (Genesis 2:16, 17)

Walking in the garden, a nearby voice arrested Eve attention, and quite surprised she looked around. There was a serpent talking like herself or like Adam: “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1) Should Eve run away? We say Yes Eve, remember the counsel about the fallen angel. But Eve stayed there sort of out of herself while listening to wonders of a higher existence: “Ye shall not surely die... your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods... She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband...” (Genesis 3:4-6)

Lucifer, the rebel angel cast out from heaven, using the serpent as a medium, deceived Eve and took the dominion upon the earth that God had given Adam.

Time has gone by, the story is in the pages of the Holy Scriptures. The power of Satan upon the inhabitants of the earth will finally be broken at the Second Coming of Christ.

The last test of loyalty and loving obedience is here today to show whom of the two great powers on earth we love and obey. The test is contained in the Ten Commandments, known as the Law of God. (Exodus 20:2-17)

The highest expression of love to God it is in the first four commandments, and in the last six commandments is the highest expression of love to our neighbors. The Lord spoke and wrote the commandments from mount Sinai as the will of God for all people. When Christ was among the disciples, He reminded everyone: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

By itself the law cannot remedy the breaking of a commandment , the penitent sinner can find forgiveness and victory in Christ the Savior. “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1)

Pagan Rome worshiped the sun on the first day of the week, and Rome beguiled the world with Sunday worship. To prepare the world for the Second Coming of Christ, God has appointed three angels with the last message of mercy to the inhabitants of the earth. (Revelation 14:6-12)

The first angel announces the judgment: “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of water.” (Rev. 14:7)

The second angel points out to the deceiving doctrinal confusion in the world: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen … she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” (Rev. 14:8)

The third angel comes with a terrible warning of judgment to the coercive religious powers of the last days: the beast, the image of the beast and their day of worship. (Rev. 14:9-11)

The three angels message gathers the children of God ready to be taken up by the Savior at the Second Coming: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” (Rev. 14:12)

Those who loved the Lord embraced the Sabbath as the visible sign of belonging to Christ kingdom: “And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” (Ezekiel 20:12, 20)

In the final Armageddon the arm of the Lord delivers all faithful followers while the numerous forces of Babylon will fall lifeless to the ground. (Revelation 19:17-20)

One day, the last events on Revelation 13 will be fulfilled, the first and the last will fight each other; yes Sunday, the first day of the week, having conquered most minds in the world will fight for the place of the last day of the week—the Sabbath of the Lord God. The nations on earth, under the supreme power of Rome, with the force of the civil law, still cannot displace the seventh day Sabbath created by God for worship since the very beginning. (Genesis 2:1-3) It is a commandment of the Lord to: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8) Jesus came to magnify the law. (Matthew 5:17, 18) And in loving words He told the disciples: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21) And the three angels message, for the last days, in a loud voice is saying: “here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” (Rev. 14:12)

Life or death, it is your choice; this is very crucial truth, life is only on God's side.

The Judgment

John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

Serious Matter! Lucifer, a great leader of the angelic host, on becoming defiant and rebellious is expelled from heaven with one third of sympathizing angels. (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-17; Revelation 12:4, 9)

On earth, Lucifer deceived our first parents and extended his dominion upon the earth. And when the Son of God came to be with us in human nature, Satan tried the most to destroy Jesus. The inhabitants of the vast universe of God heard the accusations of Lucifer blaming the character of God and the law of His government, and in some minds a doubt could remain. Instead of destroying Lucifer at once, God is allowing time until the fruit of lawlessness and rebellion gets ripe and His creatures in judgment could vindicate the justice and love of God.

The Judgment is carried out in three different phases.

The first part or Investigative Judgment is taking place right now: "the hour of his judgment is come." (Rev. 14:7) In vision, Daniel saw the beginning: "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit ... thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened ... I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him." (Daniel 7:9-13)

The Son of man is Jesus, the Advocate, the Lawyer, who represents each penitent sinner that comes to Him for help. "And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." (1 John 2:1)

What needs to be cleansed in heaven? The record of sins of Adam and Eve, Abraham, David, Peter, my sins, your sins, and the sins of the world; plus the sins of Satan and of the fallen angels. "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:14)

"Sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4) Sin is the breaking of any of the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20:2-17)

When sins are forgiven by Jesus in response to a heartfelt confession, in the judgment Jesus sustitutes His perfect life for the guilty one, and Jesus victory is counted for his salvation. Sins are blotted out and names remains free from sins in the book of life. Thanks Lord, for divine mercy!

God is love: no force, no coercion, free choice to follow the Lord, or to follow the devil. Jesus Christ voluntarily became the Lamb of God to provide the blood of redemption and the hope of the resurrection. Jesus Christ is the high priest of the heavenly sanctuary to take care of the confessions, repentance and forgiveness of those who choose to follow the Lord. "Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession." (Hebrews 4:14) And now also Jesus Christ is the Advocate in the judgment who seals the names of the redeemed from earth for the Kingdom of God.

The ears of the High Priest are open at any moment a confession of repentance is send to heaven for forgiveness and power over sin. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

The prophecies of Daniel tell us when the judgment began: "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then the sanctuary be cleansed." (Daniel 8:14) One day in prophecy is equal to one year. "I have appointed thee each day for a year." (Eze. 4:6; Num. 14:34) The seventy weeks or 490 years of Daniel 9:24-27 that began in 457 BC and ended in 34 AD are the first part of the long span of 2300 years. The second part takes us to 1844 AD to begin the judgment.

The Judgment is in session, the door of salvation is still open. How long? At the end of the judgment, the three angels message has proclaimed the last call of mercy and the dreadful warning to the unbelievers. (Rev.14:7-11) Tensions are very high, but the mighty hand of God protects those sealed for salvation: "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." (Rev. 14:12)

At the end of time, the last choice has been made, there is no more repentance coming up from earth. In the Judgment, Christ stands up and pronounces the closing verdict: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." (Rev. 22:11) The names of the saved are sealed in the book of life; and salvation closes its doors forever.

From that day, the seven last plagues start falling upon the wicked until the Second Coming of Christ. (Rev. 16) "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17)

The hope of the human race, life with Christ and eternal life is fulfilled with the Second Coming and the resurrection of the dead in Christ. By the testimony of the Scriptures, Jesus cloud could be very large to receive all God's children. With great joy the redeemed will see Abel, Abraham, David, Peter, Paul, John, and millions upon millions more. They sing: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:55) as the joyful throng, guided by Jesus, flights by distant stars and galaxies in route to the city of God. (John 14:1-3)

Down here is planet earth, depopulated, dark, cold, and broken by the mighty global earthquake. (Jeremiah 4:23-28) The ones who chose to worship the beast and the power image fell lifeless to the ground, they were drunk with the wine of Babylon the Great. (Rev. 17:2-5) And they didn't pay attention to the last call of mercy: "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Rev. 18:4) Sad, very sad, the fate of the lost; but it was their choice.

With no man to tempt, Satan is bound by the circunstances, for a thousand years. (Rev.20:1-3)

The second phase of the judgment, the Consultive Judgment, begins when the redeemed are in heaven with Christ, for a thousand years. They go over the record of life of each one of the lost in the books of heaven. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priest of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." (Rev. 20:6)

Among the millions of the redeemed in heaven, pretty soon they find out that some dear family or friend is not there. Why my pastor is not here? Why my husband, wife, father, mother, brother, sister, friend, is not here? The records of life of every person ever lived on earth is there and will be opened for every one to see why he failed to take care of his salvation with the Savior, and why he or she chose to be with the lost. "He that covered his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." (Proverbs 28:13)

"Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?" (1 Corinthians 6:2)

If Cain never repented, his name could be the first one to be judged by the saints. In time, the names of those who took the Just One, Jesus, to the cross will come up to mete out their punishment. And the list could go on with the names of all the wicked and criminals on earth; and every one whose name was not on the Lamb's Book of Life. (Rev. 21:27; 20:15) The wicked are dead in the dust of the ground, and they continue unconscious dead in the ground for the entire millennium. "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything ..." (Ecclesiastes 9:5)

The judgment also takes care of the fallen angels and Satan: "Know ye not that we shall judge angels?" (1 Corinthians 6:3)

At last the redeemed have reviewed the records of life of each name in the book of the lost, and even with tears in their eyes, they see the love, mercy and justice of God in every case. Once more they praise the name of the Lord: "Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments ..." (Rev. 19:1, 2)

The third phase of the judgment: the Executive Judgment. Christ returns to earth with the redeemed and the New Jerusalem to establish the capital of God's Kingdom on planet earth. (Rev. 21 and 22)

On coming down, Christ calls back to life all the wicked of six millenniums who were dead on the dust of the ground. "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished." (Rev. 20:5)

Christ comes down until His feet touches the mount of Olives and the ground opens a great plain for a seat to the New Jerusalem. "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." (Zechariah 14:4)

The redeemed are inside the New Jerusalem, but the wicked are as the sand of the sea on the surface of the earth. You could see those near the site speedily fleeing before the unexpected tsunami of dirt as the city descends.

Satan feels free now with billions of human beings ready to obey his orders. "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison. And he shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." (Rev. 20:7, 8)

Since the number of people outside following Satan is far greater than those with Christ inside the city, Satan is able to convince the great war generals of all time that they can take the city by assault, and conquer the earth. Soon they had the weapons and the armies ready to march, "And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city..." (Rev. 20:9)

Suddenly the armies stop their march when they see a great white throne going up on top of the city. "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away..." (Rev. 20:11) On the throne is the Majesty of heaven, Jesus, the Lamb of God, Almighty God, to execute the final judgment upon rebellion and unrepentant sinners.

Down there as head of the attacking army is Satan, the rebel angel who once was the covering cherub; (Ezekiel 28:14) who for the sake of ego grandeur drawed under his rebellion a third of the angelic host with deceiving promises of a better government. (Rev. 12:4, 9) Behind Satan are all who didn't accept for their own salvation the redeeming blood provided by the Lamb of God; therefore they are lost, their names are not in the Lamb's Book of Life. (Rev. 21:27) Every human being that ever lived on earth is present and alive at this moment of the final judgment: the saved around the Savior; the lost behind Satan.

John could not explain the technology God used at this moment to show to each person the plan of redemption in vivid panoramic view, and the scenes and words when each one of the lost rejected the oportunity to be saved. And the judgment applied by the saints during the thousand years in heaven, the sentence, is passed now to each one standing outside the city. "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." (Rev. 20:12)

The selfish, the unjust, the filthy, the rebel one and whoever name is not in the Book of Life is outside the walls of the city waiting for death. But they could be inside as part of the saved if only they had gone to Jesus the Savior with a repentant heart confessing their sins: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."(1 John 1:9) No, they did not come to Jesus, their present was full with the pleasures and the things of the world that the devil brought to mind.

There was a time, before death, when repentance and salvation were touching each heart, but they who are outside of the city despised and rejected the Savior. Clearly, they see it now, but it is too late. Moved by the love, mercy, justice and majesty of the Judge, every one kneels down before the throne of God. "For it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." (Romans 14:11)

From the enormous congregation of the wicked around the city rises a loud chorus of confession: "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of the saints... for thy judgments are made manifest." (Rev. 15:3, 4)

After Satan surprised himself on his knees before the Creator, he jumped to his feet to order the attack on the city; but no one moved, no one believed him anymore. The Judgment has unmasked the devil and everybody sees Lucifer as the grand deceiver. The wicked become very angry for being deceived so much, and with the weapons in their hands they rise up to assault, not the city, but the grand deceiver and those who in this life kept them under that fatal deception. They run against Satan: "Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords againts the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness." (Ezekiel 28:7)

"Thou has defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thy iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee." (Ezekiel 28:18)

"And they went up on breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." (Rev. 20:9) "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire..." (Rev. 20:10) "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20:14, 15)

After the earth cools down, the redeemed could go out of the city: "And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts." (Malachi 4:3)

No more sin and sinners. The redeemed could see and hear the Mighty Creator bringing the earth back to be the beauty of the universe. Will you and I be there? If we surrender our lives to Christ-the Savior, we will be there with Him. Amen.